A Correspondent
MORIGAON: The All Tiwa Students’ Union (ATSU), All Tiwa Women Association (ATWA), Tiwa Yuba Chatra Parishad (TYCP), Tiwa Cultural Society (TCS) and All Tiwa Protection Committee (ATPC) on Tuesday staged a three-hour sit-in to demand fulfillment of long-standing demands of the Tiwa people and against the Centre’s move to implement the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019.
The Tiwa organizations led by the president of ATSU, Dharmashing Bordoloi; president of ATWA, Junjunali Mithi; president of TYCP, Dilip Bordoloi; president of TCS, Phukan Karkh and secretary of ATPC, Sejoy Deuri staged the sit-in at the Morigaon Bihutoli ground with the support of more than 3,000 Tiwa people. In a memorandum sent to the Chief Minister of Assam through the Deputy Commissioner, the Tiwa bodies demanded the State Government to send a proposal to the Central Government for holding the tripartite talks before the State budget as the State cabinet had already taken the decision to provide constitutional status to the Tiwa Autonomous Council (TAC). The organizations also demanded the government to take steps for the economic, social and political security of the indigenous ethnic people.
Besides, the organizations said in the memorandum that they strongly opposed the Citizenship (Amendment) Act considering the safety and security of the language and culture of indigenous people. They also demanded the government to scrap the Asom Rajyek Rajdhani Khetra Pradhikaran Act, 2017 and to free the tribal belt areas from encroachers.